Transform Rockford: ‘Culture of crime’ a hurdle to overcome

Roberta “Bobbie” L. Holzwarth is a partner in the firm of Holmstrom & Kennedy, where she practices employment and labor law.

She also is co-lead of Transform Rockford’s Case for Change team and a member of the group’s steering committee.

The Register Star posed questions for Holzwarth, zeroing in on crime. Here is what she says about Transform Rockford and crime.

“I am not an expert on crime, its causes or the solutions. I’m just a member of the community who looked at the crime issue as a co-lead of Transform Rockford’s Case for Change team.

“The Case for Change team’s initial mission was to set the stage for why we should make an effort to transform our community. At the Coronado event on Nov. 14, our team talked about what we called the ‘brutal facts’ facing our community, so that the community would recognize that our current state is unacceptable in many ways.

“Our team also talked about some of our community’s strengths and assets, to remind everyone that with purpose, planning, hard work and resolve, we can actually be bold and transform our community. The ‘brutal facts’ we presented included crime statistics as well as statistics regarding health, poverty and education. The information was derived from the work of many who have studied our community, including the Rockford Health Council and Vital Signs studies and other data.”

How does Rockford’s crime affect the community as a whole?

From our Community Visioning Sessions, we know that feeling safe and being safe are priorities among community residents. They likely have a negative impact on our community’s ability to recruit new business, employees, students and others who have a choice in where they go.

What do you think others outside Rockford think about the city’s crime?

People outside the community look to our reported crime rates in comparison to other areas. ... We rank very poorly on the issue of safety. Whether the data used to make these comparisons is fair or not, it is what is being used by others. Our crime statistics will impact our future because they influence decisions to move into our region.

How can Transform Rockford help fix the crime problem in Rockford?

Transform Rockford hopes to bring together many people and organizations to work together and achieve our community’s vision by applying a formal and proven process for developing strategy, implementing that strategy and measuring success.

Who should be most responsible for getting crime under better control in Rockford?

In my opinion, we should not forget the role of personal responsibility in controlling crime. Beyond that, I don’t think there is one single “most responsible” person or entity. Creating a culture where criminal behavior is unacceptable and safety is the expected and attainable norm and requires alignment among and effort from all segments — community members, private business and our not-for-profits, as well as law enforcement, the justice system and other governmental agencies.

Is Rockford’s crime a symptom of its poverty?

Poverty is a significant issue in our community. Many of these issues are interrelated.

What might be the biggest challenge to reducing crime in Rockford?

When he spoke at a Transform Rockford event, Bert Sperling (founder of Best Places, bestplaces.com), noted that the Rockford area suffers high crime rates in both violent and property crimes. This is unusual in his experience, and he questioned whether it might reflect a “culture of crime.” I took this to mean that we may be battling a high acceptance level of criminal behavior.

Are your law firm’s hires from out of town initially concerned about moving to Rockford because of its crime? And if so, what do you tell them?

Our law firm tends to recruit people who already want to live and work in Rockford. I suspect that we lose qualified candidates who simply choose to apply elsewhere.

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